


If I don't say it now, I'll regret it later

by MadBiscuitLady



Series: Drabbles/Prompts [7]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/M, beruani - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 18:51:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10725141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadBiscuitLady/pseuds/MadBiscuitLady
Summary: Tumblr prompt fill for sweetmalice26. They requested Bertannie and "If I don't say it now, I'll regret it later."Nervous Bertholdt goes to a local rock show to see Annie's band perform.





	If I don't say it now, I'll regret it later

The bar was packed, loud voices and laughter mixed with the smell of beer, several mixtures of cologne, perfume, cigarettes, and sweat. It wasn’t where Bertholdt would normally want to be on a Saturday night, but tonight was different.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to get acclimated with the nauseating smell of the bar and its patrons. As soon as the band was done playing he would leave. Just one more hour. He could handle that.

“Annie’s playing at Murphy’s tomorrow night.” Reiner had mentioned nonchalantly a few days ago. Bertholdt’s heart had skipped a beat.

Annie Leonhardt looked like the last person on earth he should be attracted to. Bertholdt wore cardigans and she wore big, stompy combat boots and a generous amount of eyeliner. The most he had ever spoken with her was as her partner in English class Senior year of high school. Which was actually when she ceased simply being “that girl that Reiner grew up with and loved to tease.” He had been too nervous to try to talk to her again after that aside from a "hello,” something he really hated himself for.

Tonight though, he was committed to speaking more than a few words with her again. If he could manage to tell her he liked her performance he would consider this night a success. After tonight, well…he really didn’t know, but baby steps!

He found an open pocket in the standing room only crowd that surrounded the bar’s stage close enough to see, but far enough that if someone started a mosh pit he wouldn’t get pulled in.

He watched as she and her bandmates took the stage, one of the rare moments when he saw her actually smiling and laughing as they set up their equipment. She was wearing her signature boots and dark eye makeup, and her fingers were covered in various silver rings.

She pulled her guitar over her shoulder, and stepped up to the mic.

“We’re Ice Queen, and this is a cover of an old song by Garbage. ‘I’m Only Happy When It Rains.’”

Ice Queen was predominatly a cover band, who proceeded to perform a few songs by Joan Jett, Poison, The Cure, and even Bertholdt’s favorite band, the Doors.

After their set Bertholdt realized his notion of getting any sort of contact with Annie was naive at best. She was surrounded by a small gaggle of groupies chattering excitedly. 

His nerves got the better of him and he locked himself in one of the bathroom stalls trying to calm himself down.

Stupid. What did he expect? He sat in the stall, head in his hands, trying to take deep breaths to stop his heart from hammering in his chest, his only immediate company the faint scent of deodorizer and what could only be categorized as “bathroom smell.”

This was ridiculous. He came here to see Annie perform and to tell her she was great. That’s all. That was the goal, now he was chickening out doing even that?

“If I don’t say it now, I’ll regret it later.” He told himself. He willed himself up, left the stall and washed his hands before returning to the mass of noise that was the bar.

Annie was nowhere to be seen. He had missed his chance.

Disheartened, he turned towards the exit and bumped into someone much shorter than him.

“Ah! Sorry I didn’t see you!” He looked down to see Annie, beer in one hand, lighter in the other.

“No, it’s my bad I wasn’t paying attention-” She stopped mid sentence studying him.

“You’re Bertholdt right? Reiner’s friend?”

Holy crap.

“Y-yeah.”

Holy crap, holy crap. Wasn’t there something he was supposed to say to her?

“How have you been?”

He realized he was following her to an empty pub table against the wall.

“Good, good, uh…”

Oh right! The thing! The thing he was supposed to tell her!

“…I saw your set, you guys are really good!”

“Thanks, I thought I screwed up 'Not to Touch the Earth’ though, Jim Morrison is probably rolling in his grave.” She took a sip from her beer.

Oh god this was really happening. Annie Leonhardt is a Jim Morrison fan.

“It’s a weird song, but I think you did it justice.”

She glanced up at him. “You’re a Doors fan?”

“Yeah, I even have some old vinyls of theirs.”

She smiled, “Nice. You collect?”

“Trying to, it’s still a pretty modest selection.” The conversation was getting easier.

“Annie!” A blonde girl with short, wavy hair Bertholdt recognized as one of Annie’s bandmates was flagging her down.

“We’re heading out in 5, Ymir’s drank too much again!”

Annie rolled her eyes, “Okay! I’ll be right there!”

She turned back to Bertholdt.

“Sorry, I guess I’ve got to get going,” she began riffling through her purse before pulling out her eyeliner pencil and hastily scribbling on one of the bar napkins.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

“It was nice talking to you,” She capped the eyeliner pencil and handed him the napkin with a smile, “Call me sometime.”

**Author's Note:**

> Annie strikes me as a Shirley Manson fan, and I associate [Only Happy When it Rains](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpBFOJ3R0M4) with her.


End file.
